Unwrapping the Gift: Impacts of Technology on Society

1. A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

2. A Gift of Fire • Unwrapping the Gift • The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change • Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Appreciating the Benefits A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

3. The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change • Have you used a computer today? • You have if you used… • an ATM, • a CD-player, • a cell phone, • a modern appliance, or • an electronic device. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

4. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Some Negative Impacts of New Technology: • Unemployment. • Alienation. • Poor Customer Service. • Crime. • Loss of Privacy. • Errors. Q: Which negative aspects of new technology have you experienced? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

5. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Some Positive Impacts of New Technology: • Convenience. • New types of jobs. • More options for transactions. • Improvements in crime-fighting. • Small error rate. Q: Which positive aspects of new technology have you experienced? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

6. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Sources for Solutions to Problems: • Technology. • Management. • Law. • Education. • The market. Q: Describe how one of the above provides a solution to a problem created by new technology. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

7. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Themes • Old Problems in a New Context • Look for solutions learned in older technologies. • Adapting to New Technology • New activities may require a new set of rules to follow. • The Global Reach of the Net • Social behavior and laws vary from country to country. • Trade-offs and Controversy • Consider both sides of an argument. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

8. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Themes (cont’d) • Differences Between Personal Choices, Business Policies, and Law • Arguments for personal choice or organizational policy are not sufficient for enforcing decisions [laws] against others. • Negative Rights • Liberties; rights to act without interference. • Positive Rights • Claim-rights; rights that impose obligation on others to provide certain things. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

9. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computer Applications • Development of better peripheral devices. • Time-saving. • Cost-saving. • Less effort than older technologies. • Development of better sound quality. • Creation of computer-generated art and special effects. • Improved accuracy. • Improved customer service/satisfaction. • Entertainment/fun. Q: How have these benefits aided your peers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

10. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Communication • Non-invasive; read at recipient’s convenience. • Time-saving. • Access to vast amounts of information. • Text, graphics, and sound can be combined. • Much information on WWW is free. • Public forums not limited to geographic boundaries. • More independence. • More options for communicating. • Remote access available. • Traditional boundaries are no obstacle. Q: How have these benefits aided small business? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

11. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Transportation • Navigation. • Diagnostics. • Safety. • Hybrid engines. • Efficiency of fuel-burning. • Traffic pattern studies. Q: How have these benefits aided your community? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

12. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Education and Training • Language acquisition. • Spelling. • Literacy. • Distance learning. • Modeling. • Simulations. • Speech recognition. • Speech synthesis. Q: How have these benefits aided local schools? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

13. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computers in Fighting Crime • Improved crime reporting. • Faster search of arrest records and fingerprint files. • Remote access to records and reports, e.g. from patrol cars. • Enhancement of records (fingerprints and photos). • Access to numerous databases. • Improved sensoring, monitoring, and surveillance equipment. Q: How are computers used to fight crime in your community? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

14. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Medicine • Sophisticated imaging. • Reduced surgery time. • Patient monitoring. • Early ambulation. • Improved treatments. • Fewer errors. Q: How does your doctor make use of computers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

15. Appreciating the Benefits • Patient Records • More legible. • Better organized. • Accessible by many sites, simultaneously. • Available immediately. • Improved statistical research. Q: How does your medical clinic use computers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

16. Appreciating the Benefits • Medical Diagnosing • Streamlined diagnosis. • Improved accuracy. • Reduced need for biopsy. • Improved screening and predictions. Q: How might the chronically ill benefit from computer-aided diagnosing? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

17. Appreciating the Benefits • Telemedicine • Broad access to medical help. • Less expensive. • Expands consultations beyond rural/remote sites. Q: How might the military use telemedicine? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

18. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to the Disabled • Disability-specific computer applications (e.g., a braille printer). • Control of household and workplace appliances. • Mobility. • Control of artificial limbs. • Improved vision. • Access to adaptive educational equipment. • Improved communication. • Opportunity to return to work. Q: How are computers benefiting the disabled in your school or workplace? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

19. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Automation • Organize and access large inventories. • Improved customer satisfaction. • Cost-saving. • Time-saving. • Tedious, monotonous work done by machine. • Improved workplace safety. Q: What task would you like replaced by an automated system? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

20. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Identification • Time-saving. • Accuracy. • Ease-of-use. • Cost-saving. • More secure. • Customizable. • Reliable. Q: How are computers used to identify you at school or work? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

21. Appreciating the Benefits • Computers Monitor Environment and Materials • Temperature. • Acceleration. • Stress in materials. • Emissions. • Dangerous substances in the air. • Moisture. • Acidity. Q: How might tree farmers use computers to monitor their crops? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

22. Appreciating the Benefits • Applications of Computers in Tracking • Rare plants and animals. • Migration habits. • Stolen goods. • Lost pets or people. Q: How might scientists track Antarctic ice floes? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

23. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computers in Reducing Paper Use and Trash • Send/receive digital documents instead of hardcopy. • Read, write, and edit online. • Cost-saving; smaller storage needed. • Creation of toxic wastes at paper mills reduced. Q: Have computers reduced paper use in your school or workplace? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

24. Issues and Themes • Issues: • Unemployment • Alienation and customer service • Crime • Loss of privacy • Errors A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 24

25. Issues and Themes (cont.) • Themes: • Old problems in a new context: crime, pornography, violent fiction • Adapting to new technology: thinking in a new way • Varied sources of solutions to problems: natural part of change and life A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 25

26. Ethics • What is Ethics: • Study of what it means to “do the right thing” • Assumes people are rational and make free choices • Rules to follow in our interactions and our actions that affect others A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 26

27. Ethics (cont.) • Important Distinctions: • Right, wrong and okay • Negative rights (liberties) • The right to act without interference • Positive rights (claim-rights) • An obligation of some people to provide certain things for others A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 27

28. EthicsDiscussion Question • Can you think of examples of liberties (negative rights) and claim-rights (positive rights) that are at opposition to each other? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 28

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